Automated image analysis of micronuclei in binucleated human lymphocytes.

The lymphocyte micronucleus test is the most standardized of all cellular biomarkers for genotoxic effects. Until recently, the analysis of micronuclei was done exclusively by visual microscopical inspection but recently great progress has been made in automation. In this article we compare micronucleus data obtained by 'classical' visual scoring with those obtained by automated scoring using an image analysis system with micronucleus software. The results show that the use of automation is perfectly reliable for this task, especially after conducting limited post-analysis corrections.